Faces of Faith: Symbolizing support for the children

Updated
8:26 pm EDT, Friday, June 29, 2018

Pastor Judith Johnson-Siebold stands by the fence at the front of her church, The Christ Church United Methodist and the ribbon project which are a symbol of solidarity with the 2,300 children separated from their families at the Mexican border Wednesday June 27, 2018 in Troy, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union) less

Pastor Judith Johnson-Siebold stands by the fence at the front of her church, The Christ Church United Methodist and the ribbon project which are a symbol of solidarity with the 2,300 children separated from ... more

Pastor Judith Johnson-Siebold stands by the fence at the front of her church, The Christ Church United Methodist and the ribbon project which are a symbol of solidarity with the 2,300 children separated from their families at the Mexican border Wednesday June 27, 2018 in Troy, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union) less

Pastor Judith Johnson-Siebold stands by the fence at the front of her church, The Christ Church United Methodist and the ribbon project which are a symbol of solidarity with the 2,300 children separated from ... more

Sunday is the anniversary of your coming to Troy as senior pastor of Christ Church. What led you to this pulpit?

I grew up in the Berkshires, in the First Congregational Church in North Brookfield, Mass. When it came time to be confirmed I chose to be a Methodist primarily because of their emphasis on social action, caring for those in need. I didn't want to be part of the big church for rich people.

I graduated from Syracuse University, earned a Master's of Divinity from Garrett Evangelical Seminary in Evanston, Ill., and returned to Syracuse for a doctorate in education. My husband, Allen Siebold, is also a Methodist minister and leads Cornerstone Community Church in Lansingburgh, a combined Methodist and Presbyterian congregation. We live in the parsonage.

I have felt called to be a minister my whole life. In between my master's and doctorate, we had four children. I've led United Methodist churches in Rotterdam, Binghamton, Endicott and Gloversville. It's not easy for married United Methodist ministers to both find churches in the same community, but my husband and I feel called to ordained ministry. When you're clear about that, everything else falls into place.

What's the meaning of the ribbons on the fence at your church?

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The Four Freedoms

In a conversation about the children separated from their families, Pastor Judy remembered this poem from her childhood by Leah Gale in a 1942 Little Golden Book, "Prayers for Children."

God keep this country free:

Free from tyrants and their whips

To stamp out truth and seal the lips:

Free for every race and creed,

Free from need;

God Keep this country free.

After learning that over 2,300 children had been taken from their moms — including nursing babies — I just had to do something. I cannot imagine someone taking away my baby. I nursed my children, and when you abruptly cease nursing, both mother and baby suffer. I wandered around the house and said to God, "Show me what the church and I can do." I realized I have lots of sewing fabric and we could tie fabric strips into colorful ribbons to hang on the fence around the church. I put a lot of my fabric in a garbage bag and brought it to church. I did the arithmetic and decided on 64 fabric strips with 36 bows on each. We could hang the ribbons, one for every child taken at the border and do something beautiful to draw attention to an ugly, unjust policy. We would demonstrate our horror at the policy that separated the children from their families coming to this country. I emailed two church leaders and said, "What do you think?" They said, "This is awesome. Go for it." We shot out an email to everyone: "Tomorrow, this is the plan and I hope you will join me."

How do you like living here?

There's a lot going on in Troy, not the least of which is Rockin' on the River where Christ Church sells churros, a delicious Hispanic fried dough. We've got a great independent bookstore. It's a wonderful place to live. I'm surrounded by wonderful people. We are also very much a ministry surrounded by people who are not so fortunate. It is a privilege to know them, hear their stories and join them on their journeys.

In the winter, some members of the congregation knit scarves and hang them on the fence for people who need them for warmth. Last year there were about 500 scarves. We make space for Butterfly Wings to provide things like toiletries, diapers and toothpaste. We participate in Inn From the Cold, a winter shelter program for homeless people. We have a free block party on the Sunday after Labor Day. Our church has a long history of standing up for people against injustice. The tent of our concern widens in response to great changes in the culture, but the goal remains the same. Our worship is open and inclusive to all people. That's important for those who have had a lifetime when they didn't feel welcome.

You're also an author. Where are your books about?

I started out with a book called "A Different Kind of Joy" after being the first female pastor in the area I lived. I was horrified by what I had to go through and wanted to get it out of my head. Another book was "10 Lies Conservative Women Are Told."

Now I write children's books. In the summer my family always goes to Ogunquit, Maine. My children always loved the trolleys there. In my book, "Help for the Trolley," one of the trolleys was finding the work too hard and asked others to help. Then I thought it might be fun to write an Easter story that is not just about bunnies and Easter eggs, but uses those symbols to have a progressive Christian message. I fell in love with the bunny that the illustrator drew. I named her Sophia and wrote another story about her school worries.

After that, Sophia's "Happiest Thanksgiving," which illustrates the importance of giving to others, and then "Sophia's Best Christmas" about the joy in giving.